Petroleum Law and Human Rights: Examining the Duty of the Nigerian State to Protect in Oil-Producing Communities of Kogi State

This study examines the Nigerian state's duty to protect human rights in oil-linked communities of Kogi State, North Central Nigeria, where petroleum infrastructure traverses densely populated farming and fishing settlements. Drawing on provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, the 1999 Constitution, and relevant PIA 2021 mandates, the study evaluates the adequacy of state protection mechanisms for vulnerable groups affected by petroleum activities. A qualitative fieldwork approach is adopted, involving interviews with eighteen community members in Lokoja and Bassa LGAs and analysis of documented human rights complaints filed with the National Human Rights Commission between 2021 and 2024. Findings reveal that pipeline incidents in Kogi State have displaced farming communities without adequate compensation and that state security responses have occasionally facilitated rather than prevented rights violations. The study recommends a mandatory human rights impact assessment framework for all petroleum projects in non-Niger Delta producing states. Keywords: human rights, petroleum law, Kogi State, duty to protect, Niger Delta.